Lately…

Wow…it has been awhile huh? I think the last time I posted was before Thanksgiving. Since then, I have actually started a new job and it has been keeping me really busy–and stressed! And I haven’t even started the travel part yet–or at least not in full! In between holidays and trying to learn as much as I can, I haven’t made much (or I guess any) time for the old blog. I also haven’t made time for things like getting my hair colored before my roots are an inch long. Ugh. Hoping both those change as I get a little more settled at my new job and get back into the travel swing of things and hopefully have a life again!

I have been taking pictures of food, airport happenings, etc for the past few months but just haven’t gotten the chance to sit down and get them up. While coming back after 2 months is a little strange, I figured one way to do it would be to just jump back in with the salad I have eaten for about 2 weeks straight. It is kind of a strange combination so I wasn’t going to share it at first, but I have made it at least 10 times so I figured maybe you guys are into strange combo’s too!

The salad is very versatile but the main ingredient I always used is finely chopped brussel sprouts (raw ones). I combine the sprouts with whatever other veggies I have that can be chopped–mostly I have been using celery. I also add avocado if I have it. Then I add some sort of protein–either chicken, tuna or a turkey burger. I crumble a few tortilla chips on top, add a little bit of salt and then, I add a few splashes of Frank’s hot sauce and the final ‘ingredient’–the olive muffalata.

The most important ingredient is definitely the olive muffalata. I got mine from Costco (a huge jar which is now gone) but I’m pretty sure you can get it at any grocery store–or even make your own! The ingredients in this particular one are olives, cauliflower, celery, carrots, spices and oil and all very finely chopped. It is a great spread for sandwiches but since I eat more salads than sandwiches, I figured out that it also makes a great dressing! I took a picture of the jar but of course, I can’t find it and now the jar is gone–I’m going to need to take a trip to Costco this week and then I’ll be sure to post it.

I don’t know what it is, but something about this combo of flavors is really great and I pretty much always find myself a little bit sad when I have eaten the whole salad . Not only that, it’s healthy and makes me feel like I am getting a lot of good veggies in. If you want to make it even healthier, you can skip the chips–the picture I posted above actually doesn’t have any in it. With the olive spread–a little really does go a long way in adding a ton of flavor, I usually find that a tablespoon or two is enough–depending on how big my salad is.

Also–buying the pre-chopped brussel sprouts from Trader Joe’s is definitely worth the extra price. I bought that bag full and next time bought full sprouts that were on sale at Stanley’s–they are a pain to dice up so I’m going back to pre-chopped after this. Last but not least, the best and most addicting tortilla chips in the world are the spicy soy and flaxseed chips from Trader Joe’s. They are dangerously good–but they also have 6 grams of protein and 3 g of fiber per serving, so I like to tell myself they are good for me.

If you like brussel sprouts, definitely give this a try! Hope you like it!

Karen and Katie

Hi, we are Karen and Katie (mother and daughter), living in Detroit and Chicago. We both love food, fitness and healthy living and started this blog to help document and share our lives through food, recipes, exercise and more! Thanks for stopping by our corner of the blogworld! Email us at info@2peasinablog.com